June 25 marks the fifty-fifth anniversary of the eruption of war in Korea. That war ended in 1956 in a hostile truce between the communist Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the democratic Republic of Korea (South Korea). There’s been improvement in relations between the two countries within the last five years, but North Korea grabbed headlines early this year when it declared itself a nuclear power.

CNN: Korea at Fiftyhttp://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000/korea/ “Once unified, Korea has been divided for more than five decades — first by the victors of World War II, then by a three-year war that left a scar known as the Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ, across the peninsula at the 38th parallel.” This comprehensive CNN Special includes features on both South and North Korea, a look back at the Korean War and fabulous educational interactive features. My favorite is the click-and-drag Geography Game. Can you correctly arrange Korea’s neighbors on a map?

Korea for Kidshttp://www.curriculum.edu.au/accessasia/korea/kids.htm Created as companion site to the Australian text book “Inside King Sejong’s Gate,” Korea for Kids offers three interactive activities. The Counting Quiz (“Test your knowledge of Korean numbers 1-10″), the Word Quiz (“Test your knowledge of some Korean words” and (my favorite) the Virtual Journey. “If we traveled by plane from Australia it would take about ten hours to reach South Korea or the Republic of Korea (its official name). So don’t be impatient if the computer seems slow. It’s still much quicker than taking the actual flight! Just imagine that we’ve been watching an in-flight movie and eating three airline meals.”

Online New Hour: North Korea: Nuclear Standoffhttp://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/asia/northkorea/ I chose this Online News Hour site because it not only presents the current North Korean nuclear situation, but also provides the history leading up to it. Best clicks are found in the Additional Features menu on the right-hand side: an interactive map, Historical Overview, The Demilitarized Zone, Relations with U.S., and Nuclear Program. For news written specifically for kids (along with lesson plans for teachers) mouse over to NewsHourExtra for “World Meets to Assess Spread of Nuclear Weapons” ( http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june05/nuclear_5-02.html ).

Barbara: I certainly admit to suffering from what my daughter swears makes me a bona fide member of Emailers Anonymous… Oh well, if I wasn’t I wouldn’t have found your e-letter and your site(s), all of which have now sucked up another of the non-existent hours of my day. Congrats on some fab work! Warm Regards, Chuck Billow

**Printables Club members get 6 to 9 recommended sites (instead of the 3 included in this free newsletter) and oodles of additional educational content with the Surfnetkids Premium Newsletter. Learn more with a ten-day trial:http://www.surfnetkids.com/printables-club.htm

Birthday in a Box makes it simple to plan your next party! Free shipping on orders over $35 with offer code SNETSHIP. http://www.BirthdayinaBox.com

No time to workout? No problem! Introducing the amazing new workout program that’s the laziest way to get in shape – works almost any place, anytime, anywhere…even while watching TV!http://www.getfitwhileyousit.com/